Peanut-planter.



l. R. YEHS. PEANUT PLANTER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I6, I9I5.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET LLSQ.

Wl IVE S858.' M

J. R. AYERS.

PEANUT PLANTER.

*19M-@1.93699 APPLICATION FILED JUNE I6. I9I5Al Patented NOVI 23,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- A TTOR/VEVS J'AIVIESR. AYERS, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

PEANUT-PLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

lljatented Nov. 2.3, i915.

,i p Application iled .T une 16, 1915. Serial No. 34,468.

To all f/"wm it' may] connerie.:

Be it known that l, JAMin; R. Arxius., residing| at Petersburg, in the county of' Dinwiddie and State of Virginia, have invented a new and improved ,Peanut-)lanten of which the following is a specification The present invention has for its purpose to provide an improved peanut planter that embodies peculiarly designed seed carrying means that operate to liftv the peanuts through a sub-hopper vcooperating with a main or feed hopper' and that operates to drop theseeds, for being directed into the furrow, in a uniform and properly spaced manner.

Another object of my present invention is to provide a peanutplanting machine in which the seed carrying means includes a rotary carrier having peripheral pick-up members and rotatable witf n a sub-hopper having a special throatway or seed passage construction through which the seeds lifted by the ier, are'eonveyed as they are carried the dropping position and which includes eheelr or side pieces that are relatively restricted at the point where the seeds are lifted to drop into the discharging chute and nozzle to retard the passage of the surplus seeds and to cause them to separate from the ones in direct engagement with the pickups or cup members, and to pass back into the reservoir end of the said supplemental hopper. A

Again, fmy invention embodies, in a pea'- nut planter in which is included' a rotary seed pick-up and carrier means of the general 'form stated, a special form of hopper, supplemental with respect to the main hopper, and with which. it is cooperatively connected, that comprises two like shaped mctallio sections, each of which includes a l cheek member, guideways over which the surplus peanuts, they are lifted, are caused tovtravel, chute portions that terminate in discharging nozzles for leading the seeds into the furrow for receiving them, a reservoir portion into which the retarded or surplus seeds are caused to fall back during the operation of conveying the ,seed to the planting point, the saidcheek members, the guideway, the chute and nozzle and the reservoir portion of each of the said metal sections being integrants. I

With other objects in view that will here-- inafter appear my present inijention embodies, in a ,peanut planting machine, the

Fig. 4 is a top plan view off the sub-hopperand the seed pick-up, andmplanting devices. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the clutch mecha-` nism. and shifter therefor hereinafter de-` scribed. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of parts of the chain slack take-up devices hereinafter referred to.

In my present construction of peanut planter the main frame essentially coinprises the side beams l connected at the front end with the draft iron 8l, and at the rear by the cross bar 3.

d designates a .main hopper of the usual form mounted on the forward end of the main frame whose lower contracted end is of sheet met-al and has a restricted discharging opening 40, controlled by a slide gate of the ordinary tvpe. l

7 designates il, bottom member that extends transversely under the front end of the main frame and under whichv extends the soil opener 8, whose front or soil penetrating end projects upwardly'lin front of the hopper 4e and forms a draft member 81 with which the elevis 80 connects in the usual manner.

9 9 are dirt guards at the front of the machine and 10-10 are brace members that join with the fioor o1' bottom member 7 and the draft Amember 81, as shown.

71 designates the furrow opener and it hingedly connects with the opener 8 and eX- tends back and embraces the dropping nozzle of the supplemental hopper presently7 again referred to and as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

The main hopper includes hinged cover members Zl0 joined with acommon hinge rod 4l.

The parts so far described, 79er se, formnopart of my present invention, the essential feature of which comprises the combinlos ing of a special forni of sub-hopper with the main hopper and a rotary seed` carrier or conveying mechanism, the general arrangement of which and the coperative connection thereof with the main hopper is best shown in Fig. 2.

The sub-hopper, before referred to, and which is shown in detail in Fig. 2, consists of two half sections 'of like construction each of which includes a side or cheek portion 51 having an aperture 51, rearwardly and downwardly extending semi-cup shaped portions whose bottoms extend forwardly and merge with pendent nozzledikc members 52 formed on the lower ends of the chute 53 on the front end of the said cheek members, see Fig. 2, Each cheek member also includes an inwardly inclined flange. 5% concentric with the apertures el that begins in the lower end of the cup portions 55 and terminates at the upper end of the chutes By reason of forming theV two members that constitute the sub-hopper, in the manner shown and described, the said cheek pieces, the cup shaped ends, the chute-like portions and the guide iianges, are all shaped up of a single metal body, and as the two members are held clamped together as one, all of the diilierent parts that constitute the complete hopper, as it were, are substantially integral parts.

The sub-hopper in its operative positi y as shown` in Fig. l, has its bottoni resting on the bottom board 7,- and the cup shaped end lapped over or in telescopic connection with the lower or discharging end of the main hopper, from which the seed drops into the reservoir X formed in the lower or cupshapedpart of the said sub-hopper the nozzie-or discharging end of the said sub-hopper extending down between thc furrow opener and in position to' so drop the seeds into the furrow that they are readily covered by the coverer blades 13 that follow behind the nozzle, as shown.

The seed dropping, conveying and delivering'means in my present construction coinprises a disk 1% that is rotatably mounted between the cheek members of the suhhopper on a cross axle 1'5 that takes through the apertures 51 in the said cheeks 51, and is mounted in bearing irons 16H16 in the framing of the machine and which slidahly carries a series ofdiiierential drive gears 17, to. either of which the drive chain 1S. presently again referred. to may be applied for' effecting the desired speed rotation of the said'disk 14.

Disk 14 has a series oi pick-up fingers 19, each provided with a seed receiving pocket 20 on the pick-up side, and the said lingers are relatively of such length that their outer ends pass closelyto the bottom ofthe reservoir X, as the disk travels forward, (sce larrow) to effect' the desired sweep of the hiciese said fingers through the seed contained in the said reservoir and fed thereto from the. main hopper.

By referring now to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the seed pick-np and convcyer lingers are 'ot such length and their pockets relatively such, with respect to the lianges 54, on the opposite sides ci? the sub-hopper, that the seeds, other than those held in the pockets of the lingers and which are carried up by the said lingers in he saidV up inovcment roll laterally troni between the lingers and onto the said dar es ia-, which serve as conduits or ways :for directing the split seeds bar-l1; and down into the reservoir, it being apparent.y by reason ot the construction stated` 'the rotary carrier lingers will be 'practically freed of all the surplus seeds as they start in their forward or discnarging direction (scc arrow y) and by reason thereolythe seeds are ted singly and uniformly into thev ch vvwy ot' the snhenoxzle and from wher y through the no2:- Zle into the furrow. y

Power is applied to the seed pick-up and delivery disk by the chain lh, which takes over a chain gear on the shaft ill-l that carries the ground covering wheel ifi-l, and to provide i'or readily taking up the slack in the said chain 'when shiitinf it 'troni one of the drive gears on the dal Xlr another,

0' lounted on bracket E36 in?, lover whi 'l chain 1S takes and troni which it passes to an idler gear 2'? mounted on the forward end ole a curved arm integral with an arni 28 swingably mounted on Ithe axle iii. it being understood that the position oi' the gear il? is readily shifted by moving the arm 28 to the desired position for taking up the chain slack, a clamp `bolt 29 on the bracket that carries the guide gear, and which passes through the side piece m of the hopper 'traine and receives a winged nu't serving to hold the arm .28 to` its adjusted positions. For throwing` the drive chain out of gear, a clutch connection 33, controlled by a throw lever 34. is provided, see Fig.

lt will he noticed from Fig. 1 that the res 'ervoir of the sub-hopper into which the seeds are ted lfroni the main hopper is aA relatively small one; and the gate that controls thc seed outlet from the main hopper is adjusted for 'feeding the seeds practically singly to y the saidrescrvoir. The reason .tor providtion, the manner of operation and the advantages of my invention will be readily appar ent, and while in practice I prefer the specie construction and arrangement of the parts as shown and described, it is obvious that the said detailed construction of parts may be modified or varied as toform and proportion without departing from my in vention as set out in the appended claims.

What I claim is: A 1. vA planter comprising a frame, a main hopper mounted upon the said frame, a subhopper that includes a reservoir in communication with the main hopper, a rotary seed pick-up and dropping member mounted in the said sub-hopper, an axle that takes through the said member and the 4sides of the sub-hopper, said hopper having a discharging chute or nozzleadapted for extending down into the ground furrow, into which the rotary member discharges the lifted seeds and means that form a part of the hopper sides for retarding some of the seeds carried up from the hopper reservoir and directing them back into the said reservoir..

2. In a peanut planting machine of the character described, a seed pick-up and dropping means that comprises a hopperl formed of two halfl sections of like contour, each including an apertured cheek or side portion, a forwardly projected semi-cup shaped extension, and a rearwardly extended chute portionhaving a nozzle-like discharging end integral with the cheek iece, means -for clamping the two sections ogether, a rotary seed pick-up and discharging memberheld within the hopper, an axle that takes through the apertures in the cheek pieces' and on which the rotary member is mounted,',

means for imparting movement to the said shaft and member, the said rotary member including radially projected pick-up fingers having seed pockets in their delivery'sides,

and means on theinside of the cheek pieces that cooperate with the fingers and adapted for receiving the seeds that dropvlaterallv from between the vpicker Afingers as they travel toward the seed dropping position and conveying them baclcinto the reservoir end of the' said sub-hopper.

3. A planter of the character stated comprising a frame, a main hopper and a subl hopper, the latter being formed of two half sections of like contour and means for clamping the two sections against each other, each of the sections including an apertured cheek or side portion, forwardly extended semicup portions, rearwardly extended chute-f like vportions terminating in nozzle-like ends, said cup, chute and nozzle portions being integral with the cheek portions, the said cheek portions having inwardly projected I lflanges concentric with their apertures, a

seed pick-up and dropping disk mounted be tween the cheek pieces, an axle `that takes through the apertures in the cheek pieces and the dropping disk, the latter including radial ingers each having a seed pocket in the delivery side and that cooperates with mg motion to the said rotary disk.

.70 the projected flanges and means for impart.-

4. In a .machine ofthe character stated,

the combination with the frame, a main hopper .mounted on the frame' and the furrow opener; of a sub-hopper mounted below.

and at the rear of the main hopper, said sub- 'hopper consisting of two half section plates each of which includes 'an apertureel central or cheek piece, a forwardly projected semi# cup shaped portion that extends over the discharging end of the main hopper, said cupshaped portion extending beyond the aper' ture in the cheek piece, a rearwardly extended semi-chute portion, the lower end of which terminates in a nozzle that( extends down into the rear end of the furrow opener,

the said cheek portion, the cup-like portion and the chute being integrally joined, an axle that takes through the said cheek pieces, a seed pick-up and dropping disk mounted in the axle between the cheek pieces, said disk having radial fingers, each provided with a seed pocket in itsdischarging face, said cheek pieces including inwardly projected vflanges concentric with the axle aperture and extending from the upper end of the chute portion hopper down intothe cupshaped portion, and means operable from a driving part of the machine for imparting movement to the rotary seed pick-up and dropping disk. o

JAMEs n. MERS.

sol 

